Who we are, and what we are about

Our Vision

 

The Touchstone for African Startup Excellence

 

Our Purpose

 

Around the world, the fourth industrial revolution presents new, challenging but incredibly exciting opportunities.
At Meso we believe that absolute homogeneity is a myth. Although the world may generally be subjected to similar opportunities and challenges, no one part of the world experiences exactly the same conditions as the other. Thus business models, policies and solutions that have proven to work well in other continents and countries, for instance, may completely fail in South Africa and Africa owing to our unique socio-political, economic and technological circumstances. A closer look at nuances reveals vast differences.
 
We cherish the ideal that African problems, especially those faced by emerging organisations, can be solved using innovative Africa-sensitive solutions. We have committed ourselves to leading the conversation around this principle and prove it through action.
 

Our Core Values

 

We follow a 2-pronged values approach to ensure the value scale is kept at a balance, thus preventing situations wherein efforts to uphold one value inadvertently compromise another, equally-important, value on the other end of the scale.

 

We are guided by our CRISP non-negotiable values in everything we do.

 

Commerce & Community

Achieve commercial value for our partners, while advancing the interests of communities operated within . . .

 

Relevance & Realism

Develop solutions that are relevant to our unique circumstances and environment, while remaining realistic on practicality

Innovation & Impact

Stay grounded on creativity and innovation, while acknowledging that the best solutions are those that yield maximum positive impact

Simplicity & Sustainability

Remove complexity from processes and develop simple products and services, while ensuring creation of sustainable benefits and competitive advantage

Partnership & Professionalism

Value the power of collaboration, knowledge-sharing and social capital by treating stakeholders as partners, while promoting mutual respect, honesty and integrity

Solutions that rise above expectation.

Contact Us

Key People

 

We boast a dynamic team comprising people from diverse exposures. We are a close-knit, synergised team that believes that the whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts. Together we forge alliances that help take Meso closer to its vision of becoming “The touchstone for African startup excellence”.

Executive Director – Commercial & Technology

Olefile Mogomotsi

 

Having held leadership roles in large multinational corporations over more than 15 years, Olefile boasts a diverse foundation that cuts across the disciplines of marketing, product and proposition development, loyalty program management, business modelling, operations, partner relationship management and information technology.

 

A generalist, Olefile has practical knowledge of business administration, commercial law, product management, project and IT management supported by formal training from reputable institutions.

 

“I have tremendous passion for fresh and innovative ideas to finding practical solutions to support business in South Africa”, he emphasises.

 

He is responsible for providing commercial leadership and aligning technology with delivery.

Executive Director – Finance & Data Analytics

Loyiso Ntanzi

 

A versatile, financially and commercially astute professional with over 27 years experience in the mining, manufacturing and telecommunications industries. The experience spans data monetisation, data science, data analytics, modelling, product pricing, product development, product management, customer profitability, visualisation and financial reporting and analysis.

 

He has combined his financial analysis and data analytics skills to design monthly segmented reports and to craft pricing strategies that resulted in customer retention and substantial revenue growth.

 

Loyiso holds a B Comm from Wits University, Master of Business Leadership from the University of South Africa, Pricing Excellence Certificate from IMB Business School and is a certified Chartered Management Accountant. A believer in ongoing learning, he is currently registered for an Executive Leadership Programme with Insead.

 

Loyiso leads and guides Meso’s finance and data analytics strategy.

Executive Director – Risk, Compliance & Governance

Maanda Mphaphuli

 

With over thirteen years’ experience ranging from: short and long-term insurance, financial risk management, transaction advisory, asset management and data analytics, Maanda has gained diverse exposure in business, commercial and financial principles that cuts across multiple industries.

 

Passionate about developing solutions, Maanda utilizes the experience gained throughout his career span of synthesizing information and evaluating results for the best solution to the challenges faced by his clients.

 

Maanda holds an Honours in Actuarial Science from the University of Witwatersrand. He also holds the Financial Risk Management (FRM) credential which was awarded through the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with distinction from the University of Cape Town. He is currently completing his fellowship candidacy into the prestigious value-based leadership programme YALI and his Masters in Development Finance with the University of Cape Town’s Graduate Business School.

 

Maanda’s role at Meso is to provide strategy advisory relating to risk management, compliance and good governance.

Manager – Operations & SME Development

Thato Bapela

 

A serial entrepreneur, Thato understands all the joys and pains of managing a small business. She is well-placed to fully and comprehensively narrate the story of “a day in the life of a small business owner”.

 

Meso360 prides itself in having a team member of Thato’s background. After completing her information technology studies Thato worked in hospitality and telecommunications industries before deciding to branch off on her own. For 10 years she pursued various business ventures, and that is where she experienced the bureaucracy and red tape hurdles that stand in the way of small business in South Africa.

 

I vowed to make it my mission to contribute to a conversation that seeks to remove all that inhibits entrepreneurs from achieving success”, she says of her motivation to joining the Meso team. Thato is also coordinates operations.